Off-loading conveying system

ABSTRACT

Off-loading conveyors having endless roller chains to which are mounted bow tie rollers on rods extending laterally from the chain. The bow tie rollers define concavities for receipt of product units to be conveyed and off-loaded at an appropriate station. Off-loading elements are mounted to the chains which include paddles extending to between the bow tie rollers. The off-loading elements include levers which cooperate with an actuation system to pivot the paddles through the concavities to remove product at appropriate stations.

This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 200,407, filed May 31,1988.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The field of the present invention is conveying systems wherein theconveyor is actively operative to off-load products from the conveyingsurface.

Product handling activities for the discrimination of product units havelong been used, particularly in the food product industry. Suchdiscrimination has been based on size, ripeness, color, blemishes andthe like. Until recent times, this activity was generally undertaken bymanual labor. The versatility of workers for handling and processinglarge amounts and varieties of food products has generally beenunsurpassed. Such processing systems generally include conveyor passingworking stations where workers were able to distinguish and separateproduct units. Such labor was generally inexpensive and seasonal.However, difficulties in finding experienced seasonal workers and thenormal administrative problems associated with the fluctuating workforce have long created a need for less labor intensive systems.

In defining the needs for product handling systems, as particularlyapplied to the food industry, the nature, volume, relative unit cost andvariety of products severely inhibit the design of handling equipment.Most food products must be handled with great care to avoid damage. Theperishable nature and large batch quantities of products in season makesrapid processing a necessity. The variety of products which must beprocessed at different times to economically justify a food processingfacility places great demand for versatility on the equipment. Thus, asubstantial challenge exists in creating handling equipment to replacethe versatile human worker.

Recently, high speed electronics and sophisticated software haveprovided increasing sensing capability for detecting size and conditionof individual product units and rapidly activating responsive mechanismsto proceed to handle such products. However, such systems require a moreexacting placement of the product units, a separation of product units,proper orientation and reorientation of product units and means forquickly but gently separating units one from another. The demands forsuch exacting placement, control and operation are orders of magnitudemore stringent than for manual processing. Thus, the design of handlingsystems has resulted in compromises in speed, efficiency and producttreatment.

An earlier system for handling of products in a manner acceptable forautomatic sorting is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.

4,106,628 to Warkentin et al. for SORTER FOR FRUIT AND THE LIKE, thedisclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. In thispatented device, cups are arranged on a chain conveyor for holdingindividual product units. Solenoids act to dump selected cups forproduct separation responsive to discriminating sensing and electroniccommands. Other separating systems include devices for batting orblowing selected units from a conveyor.

Another system which has been in use now for some time is disclosed inU.S. patent application Ser. No. 515,313, filed Jul. 18, 1983 entitledPRODUCT HANDLING SYSTEM, the disclosure of which is incorporated hereinby reference. In this device, a conveyor is employed which includeselements capable of tipping to off-load individual units of a productbeing processed. The nature of the conveyor permits some variety inshapes and sizes, including elongated products. However, a range ofround or oval products in smaller sizes is not as easily accommodated bythis system.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to an off-loading conveyor system forthe handling of a wide variety of product including small spherical andovular shapes and easily damaged units. Off-loading elements arearranged in association with a conveyor whereby products of a widevariety of shapes can be off-loaded in a rapid manner without injury.The system lends itself to high-speed processing of a stream of productunits compatible with electronic systems control.

In one aspect of the present invention, support elements may be mountedin association with a chain conveying system. The support elementsdefine at least one concavity. Off-loading elements facing the concavityor concavities may be actuated to void the concavity by sweepingtherethrough. The operation of the off-loading elements may be achievedby electronic control. The off-loading elements are arranged andpivotally mounted to gently urge the product units from the conveyor.

In another aspect of the present invention, bow tie shaped elements arepresented to define support surfaces. The elements define appropriateconcavities therebetween which accommodate products in a very wide rangeof sizes from very small products just spanning the space betweenelements to large products having a curved surface which barely entersinto the concavity. In all cases, the orientation and actuation of thepaddle can cause the product to be removed in a specified direction fromthe conveyor at an appropriate time.

In a further aspect of the present invention, the off-loading system isarranged such that the off-loading elements do not sweep completelythrough the concavity. Under such circumstances, kinetic energy impartedto the product unit positioned in the concavity is required to fullyoff-load that unit. Such kinetic energy may be achieved by the motion ofthe off-loading element. When the product unit is overly ripe, theenergy of the off-loading element is not fully transferred to theproduct unit or is transferred in an unuseful form. This results in theunit remaininq on the conveyor. In this way, overripe units may besorted.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide animproved versatile off-loading conveying system. Other objects andadvantages will appear hereinafter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a plan view of an off-loading conveyor of the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional elevation taken along line 2--2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional elevation taken along line 3--3 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional elevation taken along line 4--4 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional elevation taken along line 5--5 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional elevation taken along line 7--7 of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional elevation taken along line 8--8 of FIG. 6.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional elevation taken along line 9--9 of FIG. 6.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Turning in detail to the drawings, an off-loading conveyor isillustrated as including an endless flexible element provided by aroller chain, generally designated 10. The endless roller chain 10includes links 12 and 14. The links 12 are made up of parallel linkelements as are the links 14. The links 14 are found to have the linkelements positioned inwardly of the link elements of links 12. The links12 and 14 are connected end to end by means of rollers 16 in anoverlapping arrangement. The links 12 and 14 are free to rotate relativeto one another about the rollers 16 to create the appropriateflexibility in a plane perpendicular to the rollers. Centered in each ofthe links 12 and 14 is a laterally extending hole. The hole is actuallyfound extending in alignment through both link elements of all links 12and 14 and centered between the rollers 16.

A support structure 18 includes a frame structure with sprocket wheels(not shown) employed to conventionally mount the endless chain 10. Arunner 20 is disposed on the upper portion of the support structure tosupport and guide the endless roller chain. The runner 20 is positionedon a bracket 22 associated with the support structure. This structuredefines a conveying path along which the chain 10 moves. Support unitsmounted to the chain provide support for conveyed product units.

Rods 24 are shown positioned in the holes in the links 12. They areoriented laterally of the endless roller chain 10 and extend laterallyoutwardly of the roller chain 10 in a first direction (toward the leftas seen in FIG. 1). Similarly, rods 26 are positioned in the holes inthe links 14 and extend in a similar manner. An extended rod 28 isperiodically positioned in place of a rod 26. This rod extends outwardlyto receive a curtain 30.

Mounted on each of the rods 24, 26 and 28 is a support element 32. Bowtie shaped elements 32 may be advantageously employed. In the presentembodiment, the support elements 32 are bow tie rollers capable ofrotating on the rods and being fixed from moving axially along each ofthe rods by retaining rings 34. The support elements 32 includesupporting surfaces, in this case defined by two abutting truncatedconical members. The bow tie shape is advantageous in that the supportsurfaces created are inclined downwardly from either end to form atrough extending along the conveying path. This trough may receiveelongate products which span roller to roller in what may be considereda first concavity. Each support surface, from its centerline, is alsoinclined downwardly toward the next support element. Adjacent supportelements define, by means of these supporting surfaces, additionalconcavities for holding units of the product. A unit of the product isschematically illustrated by the phantom lines 36. As the units ofproduct are solid, it is unnecessary to define a complete surface to theconcavity. The support surfaces of each support element help define,with the adjacent support element, a sufficient supporting surface toaccommodate rounded products.

Clamped to the links 14 are mounts 38. The mounts are U-shaped instructure with a locking flange designed to hook under the bottom ofeach link. Each mount 38 is conveniently of resilient plastic such thatthe mounts may be easily snapped in place. Each mount 38 has a pivot pin40 which extends perpendicular to the orientation of the rods. The pin40 is shown in this embodiment to extend in both directions from themount to a width approaching the next adjacent rod 24. A hole extendsthrough the mount so as to be in alignment with the laterally extendinghole through the link. In this way, the rod 26 or 28 may be positionedin the link.

Positioned on the pivot pins 40 are off-loading elements 42. Theoff-loading elements 42 are pivotally mounted to the endless rollerchain 10 by means of the mounts 38. Each off-loading element 42 includesa mounting portion 44 having a hole therethrough. The hole receives thepivot pin 40 such that the off-loading element 42 is pivotally mountedto a mount 38. The mounting portion 44 extends upwardly to provideheight above the chain 10. Each off-loading element 42 also includes apaddle 46, a base portion 48 and a lever 50. The base portion 48presents a broad flat section corresponding to the length of themounting portion 44.

Extending from one end of the base portion 48 is the paddle 46. Thepaddle extends to pivot through the concavity between adjacent supportelements 32. The paddle 46 is inclined downwardly away from the chain 10to face the concavity in a retracted position. This retracted positioncan be seen, for example, in FIG. 2. The paddle 46 is laterallydisplaced from the axis defined by the pin 40 toward the concavity andextends downwardly as well as outwardly away from the pin 40. When thepaddle 46 is actuated to pivot outwardly, the downward incline presentsa horizontal component of force against the product unit so as to insuremovement of the unit laterally from the conveyor directly away from thepin 40. The arrangement of the paddle is such that even with theoff-loading element 42 pivoted to a position at the upper extent of therollers, as seen in FIG. 4, the paddle portion still is inclineddownwardly away from the roller chain 10. Further, the paddle 46 extendssubstantially the whole distance across the concavity. In thisembodiment, the paddle is designed to insure off-loading of all productunits upon actuation of the paddle 46.

The paddle 46 includes a concave surface facing the concavity betweenthe support elements 32 in the retracted position. This concave surfaceis defined by a planar surface 52 and two upstanding ribs 54 borderingthe planar surface on either side of the paddle 46. The concave surfacein the preferred embodiment is arranged to closely fit within theconcavity between the support elements 32, in this case the bow tierollers. Consequently, the surface includes a diverging portionassociated with a converging portion as seen moving in a direction awayfrom the chain 10. The diverging portion includes the upstanding ribs 54at the opposed borders. The converging portion does not include ribs.Product units may then freely move across the converging portion surfaceand off of the conveyor.

The lever 50 extends away from the base portion in the oppositedirection from the paddle in the preferred embodiment. Naturally, thislever 50 may extend in any convenient direction so as to avoidinterference with the product units. Through this lever 50, the pivotalorientation of the off-loading element 42 may be controlled so as toallow placement or induce removal of product units from the concavitydefined by the support elements 32.

To control the off-loading elements 42 by means of the lever 50, thesupport structure 18 includes an upstanding mounting member 56. Themounting member 56 supports a ramp 58. The ramp 58 is arranged as canbest be seen in FIG. 5. The path of the levers 50 moving with the chain10 is normally above the ramp. Consequently, the ramp 58 does not causeany operation of the off-loading elements 42 which are allowed to passover the top thereof. A solenoid 60 is also mounted to the mountingmember which includes a rotatable arm 62. The arm 62 pivots as seen inFIG. 5 to interfere with the path of travel of the levers 50 of theoff-loading elements 42. When the solenoid arm 62 is caused to rotatedownwardly, the lever moves downwardly when encountering the arm 62. Theoff-loading element 42 associated with this lever 50 is caused to rotateto a certain extent upwardly into the concavity between supportingelements 32. This rotation results in the lever 50 engaging the ramp 58and being driven downwardly to a fully pivoted position. This fullypivoted position is illustrated in FIG. 4. By this operation, theproduct unit is displaced from the concavity of the conveyor andoff-loaded onto a curtain 30. A plurality of ramps 58 and solenoids 60with arms 62 may be arranged along the conveyor path to provide aplurality of off-loading stations.

In the operation of this first embodiment, the endless roller chain 10is driven in a conventional manner by a motor about sprocket wheels. Onthe upper pass of the chain, it rides along a straight conveying pathdefined by the runner 20. Product units are deposited on the conveyorsuch that they become positioned in the concavities between supportingelements 32. A means for sensing size, shape, color or other attributemay then view the product units once placed on the conveyor. The motionof the chain is indexed such that when the sensed product unit reachesthe desired place for off-loading, the solenoid 60 is actuated.Actuation of the solenoid 60 causes the arm 62 to rotate into the pathof travel of the appropriate lever or levers. This causes the levers toride downwardly across the underside of the arm 62 and the associatedramp 58. In turn, the off-loading element 42 associated with eachactuated lever 50 is pivoted such that the associated paddle or paddles46 swing upwardly through the conveyor to off-load product units ontothe adjacent curtain. The products are softly deposited on the curtainby virtue of its flexibility and softness. The product unit then rollsfrom the curtain into the appropriate container, shoot, bag or otherarrangement. In this way, product units may be separated by appropriatephysical attribute.

Turning next to the second embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 6 through 9,an off-loading conveyer is again illustrated including the endlessroller chain previously designated 10 in association with the firstembodiment. The holes referred to as extending through the links 12 and14 need not be present in this chain. Of course, they may be present butprovide no function in this second, preferred embodiment.

A support structure 100 is employed with this second embodiment whichincludes a general frame structure with sprocket wheels (not shown)employed to conventionally mount the endless chain 10. A runner 102 oflow friction plastic material or the like is held in place on thesupport structure 100 by a flange 104 and a bracket 106. The runner 102is shown to be a trapezoid in cross section such that the base of therunner 102 is dovetailed into the converging flange 104 and spacedbrackets 106. The upper end of the runner 102 is shown to support thechain 10 on the rollers 16. With the conventional sprockets and therunner 102, the chain 10 is constrained to move uniformly along aconveying path thus defined by the support structure 100.

Support elements are mounted to the chain 10 to define the conveyingmechanism. These elements include two types of roller mounting brackets.A first type of roller mounting bracket 108 is shown mounted to thelinks 14. The roller mounting brackets 108 each include a U-shapedmounting base 110 which is forced over the links 14 into a interlockedposition. The legs of the mounting base 110 have inwardly extendinglocking flanges 112 to engage the underside of the links 14 as can bestbe seen in FIG. 7. As can best be seen in FIG. 6, each mounting base 110is sufficiently narrow to fit between the links 12 when in position on alink 14. To one side of each mounting base 110 of the roller mountingbrackets 108 is a rod 114. The rod 114 is shown in this embodiment to beintegrally formed with the mounting base 110. The rod extends laterallyfrom the mounting base 110 in a direction which is perpendicular to thelongitudinal direction of the chain. Each rod 114 includes a resilientlocking end having a center channel 116 to define two locking fingers118 with flanges 120 extending outwardly from the barrel of the rod 114.From the flanges 120, the ends are tapered toward one another for easyinsertion and difficult retraction of the rod 114 when inserted into acylindrical hole.

Also forming part of the roller mounting brackets 108 are pivot pins 122which extend along the conveying path of the chain 10. Each pin 102 isshown to extend in both directions from the mounting base 110. In thisembodiment, the pins 122 are located to the other side of the chain fromthe rods 114 on the mounting base 110. Each mounting base 110, rod 114and pin 122 is preferably molded of high impact plastic material.

The second type of support elements are fixed to the links 12 betweeneach of the mounting brackets 108. These elements form mounting brackets124 and also include a mounting base 126. The mounting base 126 isU-shaped and extends to engage the chain. The legs of the base includelocking flanges 128 which extend outwardly to engage the links 12. Thelinks 12 are wider than the links 14 and it has been found convenient toprovide the roller mounting brackets 108 about the outer side of thenarrower links 14 and the roller mounting brackets 124 inwardly of thebroader links 12. This second mounting arrangement is best illustratedin FIG. 8. The upper surface of the mounting base 126 includes anupstanding flange 130 in approximate alignment with the pivot pins 122.Extending outwardly from one side of each of the mounting bases 126 is arod 132. The rods 132 have the same end treatment as each rod 114. Boththe rods 114 and 132 may periodically include an extended rod so as toreceive a curtain such as curtain 30 illustrated in the firstembodiment.

Mounted on the rods 114 and 132 are bow tie shaped elements 134 whichare shown here to be rollers preferably rotatable on the rods 114 and132 but may be fixed in the circumstances where large products are foundto span the rollers and move axially along the chain. The bow tie shapeis in reference to the upper surface. If the elements do not rotate,they need only have the upper surface as the undersides do notcontribute to the formation of concavities useful to receiving product.With the rollers 134 rotatable, a runner may come into contact with theunderside of the rollers 134 for a specified length along the conveyorpath. This would allow the product to be rotated a specified amount onthe conveyor. The rollers 134 define an elongate concavity andconcavities between rollers as discussed with regard to the firstembodiment.

Arranged to either side of each roller mounting bracket 108 on theextending pivot pins 122 are off-loading elements 136. The off-loadingelements 136 include a base portion 138 containing a mounting cylinder140. The mounting cylinder 140 is sized to fit about an end of one ofthe pivot pins 122. The mounting cylinder 140 is shown to ride upagainst the mounting base 110 of the first roller mounting bracket 108.At the other end of the mounting cylinder 140, it comes up against thealigned upstanding flange 130. Thus, the off-loading elements 136 areretained on the pins 122. The off-loading elements 136 each include apaddle 142 extending from the base portion 138. The paddle 142 extendsto a retracted position below the concavity defined by the bow tierollers 134. The paddle 46 is laterally displaced from the axis definedby the pin 40 toward the concavity and extends downwardly as well asoutwardly away from the pin 40. In this embodiment, the paddle 142terminates in a widened portion designed to clear the bow tie roller 134at the center of the concavity. The pivotal action of the paddle 142through the concavity from the retracted position is seen in full andphantom in FIG. 7.

The extent of travel of the paddle in this embodiment is shown to sweepthrough only a portion of the concavity such that product units below acertain size are not positively displaced from the concavity.Consequently, if sufficient kinetic energy is not imparted to theproduct unit by the paddle 142, the unit will return to a position onthe concavity when the paddle is returned to its lower, retractedposition. The operation and effect of this arrangement will be discussedfurther below.

Extending from the base portion 138 in the opposite direction from thepaddle 142 is a lever 144. Again, the lever 144 may extend in anyconvenient direction which does not interfere with the product units.Control of the paddle 142 is accomplished by use of the lever 144. Thelever 144 is shown to include a sloped ramp portion 146 rising fromeither side to a ridge line 148.

Actuation of the off-loading elements 136 is accomplished in a mannersubstantially the same as with the first embodiment. The supportstructure 100 is shown to support a solenoid 150 having a rotatableactuator 152. A ramp 154 is arranged in association with the solenoid150 on the support structure 100 such that the levers 144 will passtherebetween. When the solenoid 150 is actuated, however, the actuator152 encounters the lever 144 and rotates the lever downwardly to engagethe ramp 154. Once the ramp is engaged, movement of the lever 144 withthe chain 10 causes the off-loading element 136 to rotate to its fullyrotated position to run along the ramp for a predetermined length. Theoff-loading element 136 is then released to return to its rest position.As the paddle 142 weighs more than the lever 144, the rest position iswith the paddle in the lowermost, or retracted, position. A stop 156limits the rotation of the off-loading element 136 by coming intocontact with one side of the mounting base 110.

In the operation of this second embodiment, the basic process of thefirst embodiment is again realized. Naturally, the size of the bow tierollers 134, the size and shape of the paddles 142 and the angularityand extent of the ramp 154 all may be designed to accommodate specificproduct. The angulation of the ramp, as best seen in FIG. 5 inassociation with the first embodiment, and the speed of the chain 10determines the acceleration forces placed on product units in removingthem from the concavities defined by adjacent bow tie rollers 134. Byhaving the pivot axes of the off-loading elements 136 displacedlaterally a substantial extend from the surfaces of the paddles 142 asshown in this embodiment and/or by having the paddles extend onlypartially through the concavities when pivoted, the paddles tend to rollthe products from the concavities rather than throw them. This action ismost beneficial with easily damaged product.

Through adjustment by empirical testing, an arrangement with chain speedand ramp angle can be achieved with this second embodiment, where thepaddles do not extend across the concavity, such that overly ripeproduct units will absorb a sufficient amount of the paddle energy thatthese products will not move fast enough, or have sufficient energy, tobe discharged from the conveyor. At the same time, harder units would bemoved from the conveyor by translating paddle motion into sufficientkinetic energy to lift the product clear. Thus, in addition to theemployment of some sensing mechanism to move product units from theconveyor at selected positions, the physical properties of the productunits themselves may also result in programed separation.

Peripheral devices and processes known in the industry are intended tobe incorporated with the present system. A guide mechanism 158 is shownas part of the support structure 100 to define the lateral extent of theconveying path. Similar guide mechanisms may be employed as needed onthe other side of the conveyor as well. Feeding to the conveyor may beaccomplished by a plurality of mechanisms. One such mechanism is toemploy a flume of water defined by a narrowing channel. As the channelnarrows, the product units may be singulated and sped up to theapproximate velocity of the conveyor. The flume may then simplydischarge onto the top of the conveyor such that product units aregently placed thereon for processing.

The curtain system as provided by the curtains 30 is but one mechanismfor handling off-loaded product units. Simple slots or guideways may beprovided with or without the curtain members. Selected unitsdiscriminated by size, color or other physical attribute may beoff-loaded at any particular station in conjunction with a ramp 58 or154. Naturally one of the off-loading stations can simply be the end ofthe chain conveyor where the chain proceeds around the sprocket.

Thus, off-loading conveyors are disclosed which accommodate specificproduct units of a wide variety of sizes and shapes for conveying andoff-loading in a rapid and efficient manner. While embodiments andapplications of this invention have been shown and described, it wouldbe apparent to those skilled in the art that many more modifications arepossible without departing from the inventive concepts herein. Theinvention, therefore is not to be restricted except in the spirit of theappended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An off-loading conveyor of product units,comprisinga support structure defining a conveying path; an endlessflexible element mounted on said support structure to extend along saidconveying path and including mounts thereon; support elements mounted tosaid endless flexible element, said support elements being mutuallyspaced apart and including support surfaces defining concavities betweenadjacent said support elements; off-loading elements movably mounted onsaid endless flexible element to said mounts, respectively, andextending to between adjacent said support elements, respectively, eachsaid off-loading element having a path of travel to off-load a productunit directly away from said endless flexible element without theproduct traveling over a said mount.
 2. The off-loading conveyor ofclaim 1 wherein said endless flexible element is a chain.
 3. Theoff-loading conveyor of claim 1 wherein said support elements arerollers rotatably mounted to said endless flexible element.
 4. Theoff-loading conveyor of claim 1 further including actuators mounted tosaid support structure, each said actuator including a selectivelymovable element having a cam surface movable into the path of travel ofsaid off-loading elements to move selected said off-loading elementsinto said concavities, respectively.
 5. An off-loading conveyor ofproduct units, comprisinga support structure defining a conveying path;an endless flexible element mounted on said support structure to extendalong said conveying path; support elements mounted to said endlessflexible element, said support elements being mutually spaced apart andincluding support surfaces defining concavities between adjacent saidsupport elements; pivots mounted on said endless flexible element anddefining pivot axes; off-loading elements mounted on said pivots,respectively, and extending to between adjacent said support elements topivot into said cancavities to off-load product units away from saidpivots.
 6. The off-loading conveyor of claim 5 wherein said endlessflexible element is a chain.
 7. The off-loading conveyor of claim 5wherein said support elements are rollers rotatably mounted to saidendless flexible element.
 8. The off-loading conveyor of claim 5 furtherincluding actuators mounted to said support structure, each saidactuator including a selectively movable element having a cam surfacemovable into the path of travel of said off-loading elements to pivotselected said off-loading elements about said pivot into said concavity.9. On off-loading conveyor of product units, comprisinga supportstructure defining a conveying path; an endless flexible element mountedon said support structure to extend along said conveying path; supportelements mounted to said endless flexible element, said support elementsbeing mutually spaced apart and including support surfaces definingconcavities between adjacent said support elements; pivots mounted onsaid endless flexible element and defining pivot axes; off-loadingelements mounted on said endless flexible element and including paddlesfitting through said concavities between adjacent said support elements,each said paddle having a free end, being pivotally mounted about a saidpivot displaced from said free end, respectively, and having a retractedposition inclined downwardly toward the free end of said paddle andfacing a said concavity, each said off-loading element being aligned forpassage of said paddle from said retracted position into said concavity,the surface of said paddle facing said concavity and being displacedupwardly to off-load away from said flexible element.
 10. Theoff-loading conveyor of claim 9 wherein said endless flexible element isa chain.
 11. The off-loading conveyor of claim 9 wherein said supportelements are rollers rotatably mounted to said endless flexible element.12. The off-loading conveyor of claim 9 further including actuatorsmounted to said support structure, each said actuator including aselectively movable element having a cam surface movable into the pathof travel of said paddles to pivot selected said paddles about saidpivot into said concavity.